EMPIRE PRODUCE

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 12, 14 July 1938, Page 11

EMPIRE PRODUCE

ORDERLY MARKETING

FARMERS' PLAN WELCOMED

BRITISH GOVERNMENT

United Presa Association —By Electric, Telegraph—Copyright. (Received July 14, 2 p.m.) ! LONDON, July 13. i New Zealand and Australia figured largely in a debate on agriculture which was opened in the House of Commons by the Minister of Agriculture, Mr. W. S. Morrison, who said that the Government, impressed by the recent Empire producers' conferenpe in Sydney, agreed with the necessity for orderly marketing of primary products and welcomed the proposal of the Empire producers' organisations to co-operate with one another and with corresponding bodies in other countries to establish a commodity council.

Lord Wolmer (Conservative) said that the Dominions had never contested the rightness of Britain in giving preference to the British farmer in his own markets, and drew attention to the action of the New Zealand Government in guaranteeing the farmers a price enabling them to carry on. Every country in Europe had a guaranteed price in one form or another for agriculturists. No country, treated agriculture as it had been treated in Britain.

[ Major Sir Ralph. Glynn (Conservative) said that the New Zealand policy had benefited New Zealand rather than the British farmer. -

la reply to the debate, Mr. Morrison, : referring «to the sheep situation, said that the total imports for the first six months of the present year were over IOOjOOQcwt less than in the corresponding period of 1937. when prices were good. Discussions had been proceeding with representatives of the Governments of New Zealand and Australia, and it was anticipated that the imports from those two Dominions during the current year would not exceed 5,500,000cwt, whicjj wo^ld be some 400,000cwt below last year's allocation and.about thes same as the imports cluring 1937. "We shall keep in close touch on this matter to see what we can do to prevent imports from jeopardising the situation further," he said.